pop up tents or quick pitch tents.

[Heavymetalmater]

Hi all. Early in the season to be thinking about camping I know but hey ho!
We have a large six man tent which takes about an hour to set up. We are looking to see if we can get a quick pitch or pop up tent that would fit four of us in ( 2 adults and 2 kids). Thought that this would allow us to get away for quick weekend trips. Any recommendations gratefully received.

We saw a good inflatable tent at deershed . There was an "erecting" competition . Fastest time was 2 mins !!!
'Twas very expensive tho
www.gooutdoors.co.uk/vango-icarus-air-600-airbeam-tent-p293542

Tunnel tents are pretty quick to get up. Just a series of 'half hoops' then pull ends apart and peg down.

I love my Quechua 4.2. It was about £160. It's really very spacious although the bedrooms are definitely only for 2 people.

It takes a few minutes to pitch, but obviously you do have to peg some guys in after (though you would have to do this with any tent). My friend and her 7 yo DD had it down and packed away in about 5 minutes too!

It packs into a large flat disc so check your boot, we have it standing up and it's fine.

I also have a standard Gelert porch which I use with it sometimes if we want a bit of extra space but obviously that does take a little longer.

Pop up tents are rubbish! They go up ok but are a real bugger to get down. I had to YouTube it and still couldn't get it down.

I'd say no way could you get a decent pop up tent to fit you all. Inflatable?
We've given up tenting and have a folding camper!

Forgot Khyam also do a quick pitch thing.

I have the Quechua 4.2 XL (I think?) 4 man pop up. Love it for overnight weekend camping!

Pop up tents are not hard to get down! It takes a knack, but we watched the video once and followed the instructions and did it first time no problem.

Friend and 7 yo DD managed in less than 5 minutes.

The living area in the 4.2XL is as big as in my large 8 man tunnel tent (I know this for sure as I use the same carpet).

Just sayin...

We have a quechua 4.2 which is fine for 4 on SIMs. No problems getting it down - find it easier than the 2 man popups.

Just to add to this, we have just picked up a Quechua Family 4.2 XL pop up at Decathlon Lakeside for 114.99 (reduced from 199 I think). The two vis a vis bedrooms are 160cm wide so big enough for a large double/kingsize airbed and easily big enough for a family of four. The living space is 5.9m sqaure, so not gigantic but fine for a long weekend, particularly if you add an awning as a porch area.

We already have the 4.1 pop up which just has one big room but that has been discontinued and DD will soon want her own space - hence getting this one. We love it though and the 5/10 minutes it takes to put it up and take it down again (once you have the knack).

THey are out of stock online but if you have a Decathlon near you it might be worth popping in for one.

We have a pop up tent from Decathlon. It's the old version of the xllll and it's excellent for the four of us. Our tent is smaller than the new one so I am sure it would be big enough for you.

Our dc are 8 and 11. We use it for overnight stops through France and for the occasional weekend away in this country, with our tarp.

We have been caught in some huge storms whilst in it and it has stood up to everything and never collapsed or leaked. Packing way is a doodle once you have done it a few times. I can manage it by myself in about 5 minutes and it's easier alone than with dh helping.

Our main tent is an Outwell Bear Lake which is a beast of a tent but it takes about 40 minutes to erect and is heavy. Once up I absolutely love it, and cannot think of anywhere else I would rather be!

Thanks for all the suggestions. Will have a search around to see if I can see the tents you have suggested. Has anyone had any experience of the Coleman instant tents?

Good Decathlon bargain here and they do get more in at the sale price sometimes.

Once you get the knack a pop-up is great to fold down, and quicker and easier than getting the exact fold of a normal tent to fit it back in the bag!